I am looking forward to upgrading to an 1600x1200+ capable LCD this holiday season as I regularly do photoshopping/coding and can benefit from the extra real estate. However, I've got a few questions.

My Mac Mini is a rev. a with 32MB of VRAM so I was wondering if it would be considered laggy at rendering at high resolutions such as 1920 compared to a 1600 res.

Also, should I go the Apple route (20" for 699 w/ student discount) or Dell (24" for about the same price with discounts)

I have heard via this article http://www.engadget.com/entry/1234000240070831/ that Dell will revamp their whole LCD line on Dec. 21st but the new LCD's will likely have a higher price. My goal is to come back from winter break with a new LCD so I can't wait for prices to drop.

If I could afford the Apple 23" I'd snatch it up fast.... the size of that thing makes the 20incher look like a 17. O_o

Thanks very much for your e-mail. We evaluate product review requests on a case by case basis. Unfortunately, due to the high volume of requests we receive, we can't accommodate them all. We appreciate your interest in reviewing one of our Cinema Displays, but at this time will have to decline your request. If there are product questions we can help address, please do let us know.

I was also thinking, the only thing that attracted me to the Dell is the features for the dollar. Over time, we always get more features for the dollar. Where does that leave the Dell monitor down the road. I think that attraction will be lost.

With the Cinema Display, not only will you love the monitor from day one, but a few years down the road it will still be a good monitor, and it will still be beautiful.

I enjoy using my computer. The Cinema Display very much adds to that enjoyment.

I'll second the vote for a 20" Cinema for $699 with student discount. I'm also a little skeptical of the minis with 32MB VRAM being able to push 1920x1200, even though a lot of people are doing so with the 24" Dell and 23" Cinema._________________http://www.hawaiimacnuts.org

I have the Dell 2405 and it's been great so far. I'm mostly compressing and working with video, so I'm not certain about rendering in PS. However, it shouldn't make too much of a difference if you are after the real estate vs. image size. In other words, if you are rendering a 400x400 pixel image, performance shouldn't be much different on an overall larger display (unless you have a few videos spread around on that extra rea estate, lol).

Just buy the Dell and coat it in silver. I love the 20" and my friend bought one because of me. My mom is also buying the 24". It has a built-in card reader plus a USB hub. I know the 20" can rotate and can take extra inputs so I can play my roomie's gamecube on my monitor (we don't have a TV, so this is a godsend). I'd need a USB hub and a TV if I didn't have my Dell LCD. I don't really get the point of the Apple ones besides saying "It's an Apple and cost me a lot"._________________Computer Engineer
Junior, Brown University
15" NC8430 HP Laptop
1.42Ghz PPC Mac Mini, 1Gb RAM, 1st Gen
40GB G4 iPod
2GB Black iPod Nano

Wait until Wednesday to make up you mind. Wasn't the iMac display (the one with the iSight) just revamped? Rumors are going around that the Apple Displays will therefore be upgraded as well. So maybe on Tues??

Wait until Wednesday to make up you mind. Wasn't the iMac display (the one with the iSight) just revamped? Rumors are going around that the Apple Displays will therefore be upgraded as well. So maybe on Tues??

The Dell monitors are about to be upgraded as well. The 2405 is going to be replaced by the 2407. I don't know when this is happening, it may have already happened at CES._________________Computer Engineer
Junior, Brown University
15" NC8430 HP Laptop
1.42Ghz PPC Mac Mini, 1Gb RAM, 1st Gen
40GB G4 iPod
2GB Black iPod Nano

Wait until Wednesday to make up you mind. Wasn't the iMac display (the one with the iSight) just revamped? Rumors are going around that the Apple Displays will therefore be upgraded as well. So maybe on Tues??

The Dell monitors are about to be upgraded as well. The 2405 is going to be replaced by the 2407. I don't know when this is happening, it may have already happened at CES.

I really like the new base design Dell is using on their displays. Have you seen any pictures of the new 24"? I haven't run across any.

Just buy the Dell and coat it in silver. I love the 20" and my friend bought one because of me. My mom is also buying the 24". It has a built-in card reader plus a USB hub. I know the 20" can rotate and can take extra inputs so I can play my roomie's gamecube on my monitor (we don't have a TV, so this is a godsend). I'd need a USB hub and a TV if I didn't have my Dell LCD. I don't really get the point of the Apple ones besides saying "It's an Apple and cost me a lot".

I haven't shopped for a monitor in a long time, and I don't know anything about the Dells, but it sounds like they're priced the same, so the "cost me a lot" comment isn't really valid. The Apple displays also come with USB and firewire. If I were shopping, I'd be taking the Apple over the Dell. Having a card reader doesn't mean anything to me. It's easier for me to pull out my usb cable, turn on my camera and hit "ok." I'm not one for trying to stick my big fingers into my camera to try to pull out the cards, I'd rather just leave them in the camera and not mess with them. Everyone's different, so it's better to just name the features/benefits so that people can decide for themselves._________________Folding for a cure for Team Mac OS X, the number one Mac Folding team in the world!

Wait until Wednesday to make up you mind. Wasn't the iMac display (the one with the iSight) just revamped? Rumors are going around that the Apple Displays will therefore be upgraded as well. So maybe on Tues??

The Dell monitors are about to be upgraded as well. The 2405 is going to be replaced by the 2407. I don't know when this is happening, it may have already happened at CES.

I really like the new base design Dell is using on their displays. Have you seen any pictures of the new 24"? I haven't run across any.

I think the new base looks much, much better than the previous models. But... the Dell monitors still won't win a beauty contest. Apple, Samsung and many others, have Dell beat as far as looks go.